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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. land — ground
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. land — to come down
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. land — a country
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pit — a hole
  18. row — to paddle
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com